Valve gear of internal combustion engines



Sept. 5, 1933. A. M. NIVEN VALVE GEAR OF INTERNAL CQMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb. 20, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 5, 1933. A. M. NlvEN VALVE GEAR OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1924 Sept. 5, 1933. A. M. NlvEN VALVE GEAR OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb. 20, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 5, 1933 UNirED STATES Parar Lazarus' VALVE GEAR OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES rArchie Macphail Niven, Glasgow, Scotland, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Continental Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.

Application February 20, 1924, Serial No. 694,086, and in Great Britain December 8, 1923 5 Claims. (Cl. 12B-81) The present invention relates to multi-cylinder internal combustion engines of the type wherein the inlet of the combustible charges and the exhaust of the burnt gases are controlled by sleeve valves.

At present it is usual to drive each sleeve valve separately by means of gears each operated from a common valve shaft.

The object of the invention is to provide improved and much simplied means for driving the sleeve valves and to this end according to this invention, the sleeve valves are connected together and driven collectively and simultaneously by a coupling member or rod which, in its turn, is driven by a single valve gear, the usual half speed shaft and its valve gears being dispensed With.

The coupling member is preferably engaged with rotatably mounted sleeve valve driving members, which latter are so constructed as to allow of the order of ring of the cylinders being changed without altering the gearing between the engine crank shaft and the sleeve valve driving shaft. In this case, the sleeve valve driving members may comprise an inner and an outer mem ber operably connected and so arranged that the inner member can occupy a desired number of dilerent positions relatively to a iixed point on the outer member.

It is obvious that if so desired two, or more,

coupling members may be used.

On the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is a part sectional end elevation through one of the cylinders vof the engine.

Fig. 2 is a front view showing the engagement of the coupling rod with the sleeve valve driving members and with the sleeve valve driving shaft.

Fig. 3 is an end View, partly in section, corresponding to Figure 2, and shows the method of driving the sleeve valve driving shaft.

Fig. 4 is a partly sectioned view showing the method of assembling the two parts of a sleeve valve driving member.

Fig.,5 is a section through the outer partof the sleeve valve driving member.

Fig. 6 is a sectional end view of a modiiied construction in which three coupling rods are used;

and

gagement of the vcoupling rods with eccentrics secured to the lsleeve valve driving member.

Referring firstly to Figs. l to 5:-

The engine comprisesiour cylinders 1, in each of which a single sleeve valve 2 is oscillatably and slidably arranged, pistons lOvbeing slidablyy arranged in the sleeve valves. The sleeve valves are simultaneously reciprocated and oscillated within the cylinders by `means of sleeve valve driving members 3 rotatably mounted in a side wall of the engine crank case 4. Each sleeve valve driving member, see Figs. 4 and 5, comprises an outer part 5 and an inner part 6, said outer part being formed with a flange 6a whereon is a projection or crank pin oiT-set from the centre-of said ange and slidably engaging in a bearing plate 8 mounted for universal movement in an aperture formed in a lug 9 on the lower part of the sleeve valve. The inner part 6 of the sleeve valve driving member is formed with a flange 11 on which is a projection or crank pin l2 off -set from the centre of the flange, whose purpose will be explained hereafter. Housings 13 are ntted in apertures in the crank case side wall, see Figure l, and each is provided at its inner end with a check or ring 14 against which one side of a ball bearing 15, provided in said housing, is tted. The outer part 5 of each sleeve valve driving'member is arranged within the ball bearing 15 and within a ball ybearing 16 disposed in the housing 13 but separated from the ball bearing 15 by means-of a distance piece 17. The housings 13 are formed with flanges 18 fixed to the crank case side wall by means of set screws 19. Plates are secured to the flanges 18 by set screws 21 and overlap the ball bearings 16, thus preventing any lateral movement of the ball bearings 15 and 16 and the distance pieces 17. As will be seen in Figures 4. and 5, the outer Figs. 7 and S'are iront views showing the enparts 5 of the sleeve valve driving members 3 are l bored to receive the yinner parts 6, veach of which is secured to the outer part by means of a screw 22 engaging a threaded aperture 23and bearing on a washer 2li engaging a check or rshoulder 25 formed in the bore of the part 5. The part 5 is formed with four keyways 26 any one of which ls adapted to be engaged by a key Vprovided on the inner part 6. When the screws 22 are tightened the flanges 11 of the inner parts 6 bear against the outer ball bearings 16, so that, owing to the flanges 6d on the inner parts engaging'the ball bearing 15, see Fig. 1, the two parts ofeach `sleeve valve driving member are held securely together.

A coupling rod 27, Fig. 2, is provided with ball bearings 28, each of which is arranged in an aperture 29 formed in the coupling-rod, four of said ball bearings engaging the crank pins 12 on the inner parts 6 of the sleeve drivingI members, whilst the fifth engages a crank pin 30 formed on, and off-set from the centre of, a flange 3l on a sleeve valve driving shaft 32 rotatably arranged in a bearing 33 fixed in a gear cover 34 formed on the engine crank case. The inner end of said shaft is provided with alworm wheel"35"which engages a worm 36 on a shaft 37, whereon is also a two to one gear wheel 38 engaging a Vtoothed pinion 39 provided on the enginecrank shaft 40. A thrust bearing 41, Fig. 3, is interposed between the worm whee135 and the inner end ofthe bearing 33. The coupling rod 27 is held in position on the crank pins 30 land 12 by means of set screws 42 which are screwed into threaded apertures provided in said pins and bear against the coupling rod. The coupling rod and its appurtenances are enclosed by a cover plate 43 fastened to the crank case side wall.

In operation, vthe rotation of-theengine crank shaft causes the sleeve valve driving shaft 32 to be rotated through the pinion 39, gear wheel 38, worm 36 and worm wheel 35.Vv Thus, the pin 30 on the sleeve valve driving shaft 32 is rotated and the coupling rod 27 reciprocated backwards and forwards while moving from a higher to a lower plane and vice versa, the arrangement being Vsuch that the crank pins 12 and the sleeveV valve driving members 3A are also rotated.

The rotary movement; of the crank pins 7 on the outer parts 5 of the sleeve valve driving members causes the sleeve valves 2 to move within the cylinders with a combined 'oscillatory' and reciprocatory motion; The object of the four keyways in the outer parts 5 of the sleeve valveV driving members 3 is to permit of the order of 'firing .of the cylinders being readily altered without any change in the gearing between the crank shaft and the sleeve valve drivingshaft 32, as the key on the inner part 6 of the sleeve valve driving member has merely to be engaged in a different rkeyway 26 in the outer part 5.

bearing 45 formed in the crank case side wall,

the other end of the sleeve valve driving member f being rotatably mounted in a flanged bearing 46 also fixed kin the crank case side Wall.

A set screw 47, engaging a threaded aperture 48 in the driving member 3,bears against a washer 49 interposed between said screw and the driving member. Eccentrics 50, 51 and 52, are secured on each sleeve valve driving member and are engaged, re-

spectively, by coupling rods 27, 27a, 27b. By the arrangement of a plurality of coupling rods, a more even torque is obtained on the sleeve valve drivingmembers, owing to the elimination of dead centres.

Asvshown in Figure 8, each eccentric isvsecured on the sleeve valve driving member 3 by means'of a key 53 engaging aV keyway in the eccentric. IIhe lcoupling rods are operated from kthe sleevel `,valve drivingA shaft 32 by 4means ofr eccentrics vsecured on the shaft and engaging said rods, the

arrangement being similar to that illustrated in Figure 6. It should be noted that the operation yapertures, in the crank case side wall, bearings arably mounted in said bearings, crank pins on the outer parts and engaging with the sleeve bers for engaging in the ball bearings in of the sleeve valve driving arrangement in this case is the same as in the preceding case, as the effect of the eccentrics on the coupling rods is precisely the same as that of the off-set pins in the preceding case.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having sleeve valves, the combination of ranged therein," sleeve valve driving members comprising relatively adjustable inner and outer parts whereby Athe order of firing of the cylinders may be changed, said outer parts being rotatvalves, a coupling rod, a sleeve valve driving shaft and crank'pins on said shaft and on the inner parts of the sleeve valve driving members for engaging with the coupling rod.

2. Ina multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having sleeve valves, the combination of apertures in the crank case sidewall, bearings arranged therein, sleeve valve driving members comprising relatively adjustable inner and outer parts wherebythe order of ring of the cylinders may be changed, said outer parts being rotatably mounted in said bearings, bearing members mounted for universal movement in the sleeve valves, crank pins on the outer parts of said driving members engaging in the bearing members, a coupling rod, bearings therein, a rotatable sleeve valve driving shaft and crank pins on the inner parts of the sleeve valve driving members and said shaft for engaging in the bearings in the coupling rod. f

3. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having sleeve valves, the combination of apertures vformed in the crank case side wall, housing xedftherein, ball bearings arranged in the housings, sleeve valve driving members comprising relatively adjustable inner and outer parts whereby the order of ring of the cylinders may be changed, said outer parts being arranged gine having sleeve valves, the combination of apertures formed in the crank case side wall, housings fixed therein, ball bearings arranged in the housings, sleeve valve driving members comprising inner and outer parts, which latter are g arranged in the ysaid ball bearings, a plurality of keyways in the outer part of each sleeve valve "driving member, a key on the innerpart thereof for engaging with any of said keyways, whereby` the order of ring of the cylinders can be altered, bearings mounted for universal movement in the sleeve valves, crank pins on the outer parts of thesleeve valve driving members engaging in said bearings, a coupling rod, ball bearings therein, a rotatable sleeve valve driving shaft, gearing 'Y for driving said shaft from the engine crank shaft and crank pins on the driving shaft and on the inner partsY of the sleeve valve driving memcoupling rod.

in the said ball bearings, bearings mounted for 11.20

5. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having sleeve valves, the combination of cylinders, a single sleeve valve oscillatably and slidably arranged in each of said cylinders, a piston slidably arranged in each sleeve valve, apertures in the crank case side wall, housings Xed therein, ball bearings arranged in the housings, sleeve valve driving members comprising inner and outer parts, Which latter are arranged in the said ball bearings, a plurality of keyways in the outer part of each sleeve valve driving member, a key on the inner part thereof for engaging with any of said keyways, whereby the order of firing of the cylinders can be altered, bearings mounted for universal movement in the sleeve valves, crank pins on the outer parts of the sleeve valve driving members engaging in said bearings, a coupling rod, ball bearings therein, a rotatable sleeve valve driving shaft, gearing for driving said shaft from the engine crank shaft, crank pins on the driving shaft and on the inner parts of the sleeve valve driving members for engaging in the ball bearings in the coupling rod and a cover for enclosing the coupling rod and the sleeve valve driving members.

ARCHIE MACPHAIL NIVEN. 

